金融英语阅读：跨国公司加快销售战略调整

Multinational¹ Companies Accelerating the Sales Strategy Rearrangement

　　There is a new trend in the investment by multinational enterprises: to shift their businesses and technical transformation² to establishing production bases, the core strategy is first to occupy the huge Chinese market.

　　Reviewing the short-term investment history: in 1992, most multinational companies merely set up representative offices in China and mainly engaged in trade.

　　But since 1995, they have shifted to establishing production bases, especially the share holding companies (such companies are the highest form of foreign investment, besides investment and reinvestment, their responsible also includes product agency, the training of personnel, providing information and supplying funds). Such multinationals³ include Omron, Hitachi, Panasonic, Sanyo, Fujitong, Toshiba, Isuzu of Japan, Siemens, Bayer, Henkel of Germany, General Electric, IBM, Motorola, and Dell Computer of America.

　　In recent years, multinational companies have accelerated their large investment in China. McDonald's alone has built 52 factories in China. ABB Group established 20 joint⁴ ventures. Volkswagen AG set up four large joint ventures and one solely-invested enterprise with a total investment of U.S.$ 2 billion. In addition, Boeing has three large joint ventures, and the key components⁵ of 3100 Boeing planes now flying worldwide were made in China. Moreover, with the relocation fever, multinational companies are intensifying⁷ their localization strategy of the "root in China".

　　According to employment records, foreign-funded enterprises favor local professionals. The director of human resources for Microsoft (China) Co., Ltd. says, over 500 their employees are Chinese, and most of them are masters and doctors. To our surprise, more and more senior posts are being taken by Chinese. In the ABB (China) Group, of 5000 employees, nearly ten general managers are Chinese, while foreign senior officials are very few.

　　In order to ensure that their products keep up with the changing market, multinational companies lay special emphasis on the localization of R & D and the expansion towards the intellectual service field. Some powerful companies have increased their R & D investment and established research institutes in China. A "China fever" has been started by foreign IT magnates.

　　Notes

　　multinational adj.多国的, 跨国公司的

　　accelerate v.加速, 促进

　　sale n.出售, 销路, 销售额

　　strategy n.策略

　　rearrangement n.重新整理

　　trend n.倾向, 趋势

　　multinational enterprise跨国企业

　　shift vt.转移, 改变

　　technical transformation技术转让

　　transformation n.转化, 改革, 转换

　　representative offices办事处

　　establish vt.建立, 设立, 确定

　　production base生产基地

　　core strategy核心战略

　　core n.果核, 中心, 核心

　　occupy vt.占领, 占据

　　share holding companies持股公司

　　product agency产品代理

　　training of personnel人员培训

　　supply funds提供资金

　　joint ventures合资企业

　　solely-invested enterprise独资企业

　　key components关键零部件

　　relocation n.再布置, 变换布置

　　fever n.狂热, 高度兴奋

　　intensify⁶ vt.加强

　　localization strategy本地化战略

　　employment n.雇用, 职业

　　foreign-funded enterprise外资企业

　　favor vt.照顾, 喜欢

　　professionals n.专业人员

　　director n.主任, 主管,

　　human resources人力资源

　　master n.硕士

　　doctor n.博士

　　senior posts高级职位

　　general manager总经理

　　senior officials高级官员

　　intellectual service field智力服务范围

　　research institute研发机构

　　"China fever""中国热"

　　magnate n.巨头, 富豪